


EPISODE ELEVEN: "A Lot To Manage"

by gaypetersimmonds



Series: Skam Brighton: Season Five [12]
Category: Original Work, SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Character of Color, Canon Gay Character, Canon Jewish Character, Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Non-Binary Character, Canon Trans Character, Episode 11, Multi, Skam season 5, happy hannukah!!!!!!!!, tw for mentions of pedophilia and addiction in clip 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28033233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaypetersimmonds/pseuds/gaypetersimmonds
Summary: Nick Braxton is out of control. Out at parties every weekend - where he gets more money than he spends, takes more drugs than he sells, and kisses more people than he can count. Everyone loves Nick. Except for when he comes home to his family.But Nick doesn't care. Nick doesn't care about anything - not how a lot of his friends have been avoiding him lately, not how tight money has been, and certainly not about failing his classes.He makes people happy with his products and he makes people laugh with his jokes, and that's enough for him - but whether they're laughing with him or at him gets harder to tell day by day.He can't control what he can or can't do, he can't control who he is and, worst of all, he can't control who he falls in love with - seeing as it's the one person who will never love him back. Probably.FIRST CLIP: "I Won't Die"
Relationships: Nick Braxton/Milo Woods
Series: Skam Brighton: Season Five [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930417
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. CLIP ONE: "I Won't Die"

**SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13TH, 12:47**

_“Gender Is Boring” by She/Her/Hers_ plays as we pan over naked trees, frosty grass, windows tinted white with the cold. We see a dandelion poking out of a crack in the concrete.

INT. CHURCH

We see the PRIEST move from the altar to stand on the stairs in front of it, with several elderly people standing in various places around the church, all holding metal chalices.

We see NICK sitting in a pew with their entire family, in all their Sunday finery, as CHRISTIAN and JOSEFINA stand up, leading LUKE and GABE out of the pew and into the line of people waiting to receive the eucharist.

NICK looks between the line of people and the ground in front of them, thinking, and then look over at MATTHEW, who’s boredly reading a book of readings. The song fades out into soft organ music as he leans over and whisper to MATTHEW:

NICK  
Hey, I’m gonna go up with them to get the bread, is that okay?

MATTHEW doesn’t look up as he speaks:

MATTHEW  
I won’t die.

NICK snorts and nods, standing up and going behind LUKE into the queue of people.

We flash ahead in time to NICK reaching the front of the line, their hands awkwardly held out in front of them as an old lady smile at them and puts a single round piece of bread with a cross on it into their hand. NICK nods, awkwardly smiling back, and places it into their mouth, turning around and walking back down the aisle. 

They follow LUKE and GABE back into the pew their family’s in, and they kneel down next to the rest of them. They look across at the other people in the church, and join their hands in front of their head, closing their eyes and beginning to pray.

EXT. CHURCH

We cut ahead in time and see the BRAXTONs walking out of the church, passing by the PRIEST, who smiles, shaking everyone’s hands, and JOSEFINA and CHRISTIAN walk off towards some other adults. NICK hangs back in the doorway as LUKE takes his phone out and GABE and MATTHEW begin to chase each other around. NICK looks over to a wall, where JAKE is leaning against it, scrolling through his phone. NICK grins and lightly runs over to him.

NICK  
Honestly, really sexy of Jesus to have a massive candle countdown to his birthday.

JAKE looks up at them, sighing, completely defeated.

JAKE  
Please don’t refer to anything Jesus-related as sexy.

NICK snorts, leaning against the wall next to him.

NICK  
There’s literal sculptures of the man almost naked everywhere, Jake. You can’t escape his sexiness.

JAKE  
No!

NICK raises their eyebrows.

NICK  
I mean, we are all literally worshipping him.

JAKE rolls his eyes.

JAKE  
Gods aren’t sexy.

He stops, second guessing himself.

JAKE  
Well, Greek mythology begs to differ.

NICK nods with a wide grin.

NICK  
See, now you’re getting it!

JAKE laughs a little, nodding, as NICK looks out at the crowd exiting the church. They look at a MAN quietly smoking behind the side of the building, their smile falling completely off. They awkwardly cough, looking back at JAKE.

NICK  
Anyways, Jesus and Judas definitely had a thing going on, right?

NICK pops a piece of gum in their mouth as JAKE sighs, thinking:

JAKE  
I mean… He did kiss him. Canonically.

NICK snorts.

NICK  
Yes, in the  _ canon  _ of the  _ Bible _ .

JAKE scoffs.

JAKE  
You cannot make fun of me, you literally forgot that Jesus was the guy who died at Easter.

NICK laughs, shaking their head.

NICK  
That was _one_ time and I was high.

JAKE half-scoff-half-laughs.

JAKE  
Still.

NICK nods

NICK  
Anyways, Lady Gaga definitely thought that Judas was gay when she released her iconic song “Judas”.

JAKE  
I haven’t heard it.

NICK gasps, both mock-scandalised and genuinely shocked.

NICK  
And you call yourself a gay man.

JAKE  
I do! I just don’t really like that kind of music.

NICK shakes their head, looking back at the church.

NICK  
You should repent for this.

JAKE speaks, in mild disbelief of what he’s saying:

JAKE  
Not having a strong opinion on Lady Gaga isn’t blasphemy.

NICK snorts.

NICK  
To you, maybe.

JAKE nods, like “fair enough”, as NICK takes a breath, their brow furrowed.

NICK  
But, seriously though, isn’t it really fucked up how Mary got pregnant like that?

JAKE looks at them, confused.

NICK  
Like, I was thinking about it this time instead of just daydreaming.

JAKE  
The bare minimum.

NICK ignores him, going on:

NICK  
Like, she was fourteen, she straight up did not consent to it, her husband wasn’t even involved, but she was still cool with it.

JAKE nods, agreeing.

JAKE  
This is why Catholics are better than Protestants - we respect the big woman.

He points up at the sky as NICK laughs.

NICK  
God, you sound like Brianna when you talk to her about Irish politics for too long.

JAKE  
Well, they make points. 

NICK scoffs.

NICK  
Simp!

JAKE looks at him incredulously.

JAKE  
For listening to someone’s opinions?

NICK nods, laughing to himself.

NICK  
Total simp move.

JAKE sighs, laughing a little.

JAKE  
I’m gay.

NICK  
Friendship simp. Friend-simp.

JAKE rolls his eyes.

JAKE  
If we weren’t on holy ground, I would’ve buried you alive.

NICK doesn’t miss a beat:

NICK  
That’s hot.

JAKE looks genuinely distressed - NICK loses it.

JAKE  
No!

CHRISTINE [O.S.]  
Jake!

JAKE and NICK look over as CHRISTINE waves JAKE to come over to her.

JAKE  
I gotta go.

NICK nods as JAKE leans off of the wall.

NICK  
It’s nice that you still come here even though you live miles away. Your mum must really like the priest.

NICK waggles their eyebrows as JAKE shakes his head.

JAKE  
No, I ask to come here.

NICK looks confused.

JAKE  
I like hanging out with you.

NICK is still for a moment, genuinely touched, as JAKE awkwardly laughs, gesturing at the building.

JAKE  
And they kind of went off with the stained glass.

NICK snorts, nodding.

NICK  
The tagline of Catholicism.

JAKE nods and walks off, as NICK looks up at the building, silently in thought.


	2. CLIP TWO: "Possessed"

**MONDAY, DECEMBER 14TH, 17:46**

INT. LIVING ROOM, NICK’S HOUSE

NICK, JOSEFINA, CHRISTIAN, LUKE, GABE and MATTHEW all sit together, eating dinner off of plates in their laps, as LUKE animatedly tells a story, NICK listening with a polite smile.

LUKE  
So our history teacher made us come up with campaigns to see who would get the most votes and be king, and Tom got his mum to bring us up buns, so we bribed the voters and we won!

He smiles, very proud of himself, as NICK snorts.

NICK  
A lesson on the corrupt government, very modern.

CHRISTIAN  
No, it’s a good business plan.

LUKE  
I’m a good business man.

NICK looks at him disdainfully.

NICK  
You play _Fortnite_.

GABE  
You can be good at business and Fortnite.

NICK gives him a look that says “no you can’t”.

MATTHEW  
Did you bring any buns home?

LUKE  
No. We ate the extra ones.

MATTHEW sighs, very dramatically sad - NICK tries not to laugh.

JOSEFINA  
I’ll see if I can’t get you a bun for after dinner.

MATTHEW grins as JOSEFINA pats his head. CHRISTIAN gives her a look.

CHRISTIAN  
You’re spoiling him.

JOSEFINA  
Oh, we all deserve a little spoiling.

CHRISTIAN fondly rolls his eyes as they go silent for a few moments, all eating. NICK nods to himself, genuinely impressed with the food.

NICK  
Mum, this is seriously good.

JOSEFINA smiles, embarrassedly proud.

JOSEFINA  
Oh, stop.

MATTHEW nods enthusiastically.

MATTHEW  
It is!

GABE  
What is this?

JOSEFINA  
It’s bistek Tagalog. Your grandmother used to make it all the time back home.

NICK smiles, nodding, listening.

NICK  
Oh, cool.

MATTHEW nods enthusiastically again.

MATTHEW  
I like the oniony taste.

GABE shakes his head, wrinkling up his nose.

GABE  
No, it’s gross.

LUKE  
No, it’s nice.

GABE  
The meat’s the best part.

NICK holds their hands out diplomatically.

NICK  
Now, now, there’s enough to go around. 

They snort to themself.

NICK  
Literally.

JOSEFINA’s the only one who laughs - LUKE glares at NICK as JOSEFINA wipes her eyes.

JOSEFINA  
Oh, Nick. You do tickle me.

NICK laughs to himself.

NICK  
Metaphorically.

LUKE puts his head into his hands.

LUKE  
I hate this family.

NICK laughs a little at him, before turning back to JOSEFINA.

NICK  
Mum, would you like a hand clearing up when we’re done?

LUKE looks up at him, completely shaken and confused.

LUKE  
Have we fallen into an alternate universe?

NICK shrugs, a little offended.

NICK  
I wanna be helpful!

GABE stares them dead in the eyes.

GABE  
You’re possessed.

NICK sighs over-dramatically.

NICK  
I’m not.

JOSEFINA laughs as she looks at him.

JOSEFINA  
No, you are.

NICK sighs, putting their head in their hands as they laugh to himself, genuinely happy for a moment.


	3. CLIP THREE: "A Better Mental State"

**TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15TH, 16:24**

_“dorothea” by Taylor Swift_ plays as we pan around the city, looking across the buildings and the beach, before arriving at JAMES’s apartment building.

INT. LIVING ROOM, JAMES’S APARTMENT

NICK and JAMES sit on the sofa together, each on their laptop. Both of them are playing DC Universe Online, laughing, both clicking rapidly as the song slowly fades out and NICK groans dramatically.

NICK  
You’re shitting me!

We see the screen of NICK’s laptop - a character in black and blue is standing on top of a building as JAMES laughs.

NICK  
How’d you get there before me?

JAMES grins, stimming as he shakes his head.

JAMES  
Acrobatics, baby.

NICK sighs dramatically as their character - dressed in pink and white - reaches the top of the building.

NICK  
But flying’s so much  _ sexier _ .

JAMES  
How is being a wingless bird sexier than just moving really cool?

NICK scoffs, giving him a look.

NICK  
All you do is parkour and dress like Nightwing. A literal bird, bitch.

JAMES  
Because Nightwing’s fucking badass!

NICK  
My candyfloss magical boy is badass too!

JAMES  
Yeah, obviously, but he flies like a little bitch.

NICK gasps overdramatically, a hand on their heart as JAMES snorts.

JAMES  
Imagine using superpowers as a crutch. Would not be me.

NICK rolls his eyes.

NICK  
Boo hoo, go play with your death toys.

JAMES gives them a disdainful look.

JAMES  
You fucking wish you had my death toys.

NICK claps their hands between each syllable:

NICK  
I have lasers for fucking eyes.

JAMES laughs.

JAMES  
Fuck you!

NICK snorts as JAMES makes eye contact with them, raising his eyebrows.

JAMES  
So… What do you want to do next?

He winks and NICK rolls their eyes, looking away.

NICK  
Oh, shut up.

He awkwardly laughs.

NICK  
But, um…

JAMES sits up, concerned.

JAMES  
What? What’s wrong?

NICK keeps laughing, awkwardly brushing their hair away from their face.

NICK  
Sorry, just…

They look JAMES in the eye - JAMES looks away.

NICK  
Could you… Not?

JAMES frowns, confused.

JAMES  
Not what?

NICK shrugs, looking down at his screen.

NICK  
Like, make jokes about flirting with me and shit.

They awkwardly laugh, trying not to look too nervous.

NICK  
It just-- It kind of makes me uncomfortable.

JAMES quickly nods, genuinely remorseful.

JAMES  
Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.

NICK quickly shakes their head.

NICK  
No, you didn’t bother me. Just… Ever since I told you about… You know…

They awkwardly laugh - knowing there’s no way they can actually say it again.

NICK  
We’ve just kind of ignored it.

JAMES awkwardly laughs, nodding.

JAMES  
Yeah. 

He looks at NICK - NICK looks back - and he sighs.

JAMES  
I-- I mean, what do you want me to do?

NICK shrugs.

NICK  
I don’t know. Not flirt with me in your weird jokey way.

JAMES nods.

JAMES  
I won’t. I promise.

NICK nods back, smiling a little, relieved.

JAMES  
But I never did it on purpose. You know me, I do that with everyone. I’m a whore.

He laughs, NICK joining in, raising an eyebrow.

NICK  
You know, you can’t keep saying that to cover up your emotional problems.

JAMES raises his eyebrows back.

JAMES  
Oh, but I can.

NICK nods, taking a second to take a breathe, hyping himself up, before saying:

NICK  
Did you think about what I said?

JAMES looks confused, a smile still firmly on his face:

JAMES  
You’ve said many things in your life.

NICK shrugs, laughing a little.

NICK  
The-- The whole adult fucking thing. Whore.

They laugh awkwardly, awkwardly trailing off as JAMES doesn’t.

JAMES  
Yeah… 

He laughs a little, shrugging.

JAMES  
Well, I’ve lowered the age range on OKCupid.

NICK looks at him incredulously.

NICK  
You have an OKCupid? You’re underage.

JAMES laughs again, ignoring him.

JAMES  
I made accounts on, like, 10 different dating sites after I accidentally ran into Liz’s little sister out with her friends and it made me think about Liz and it made me sad.

NICK looks at him sadly, empathetically, but JAMES just keeps smiling.

JAMES  
But the minimum I chose is, like, twenty five.

NICK takes a deep breath.

NICK  
The bar is on the ground.

JAMES snorts.

JAMES  
Says you.

NICK holds up a finger, simultaneously proud and acting overly proud of themself.

NICK  
Um, no.

JAMES raises an eyebrow.

JAMES  
Oh? 

NICK laughs a little, shrugging.

NICK  
Just… I may be planning on having romantic relations with someone age appropriate soon.

JAMES’s jaw drops, genuinely surprised - NICK looks confused, amused and trying not to be offended.

JAMES  
Oh. Nice for some.

NICK nods, a little awkward.

NICK  
Yeah.

There’s an awkward pause for a few moments, both of them looking at their screens.

JAMES  
Well, nice to see you not having a breakdown over Rori anymore.

NICK snorts, nodding.

NICK  
Yeah. Turns out talking to people about problems you have can actually help resolve the problems and give you a better emotional state.

JAMES laughs awkwardly.

JAMES  
Damn… 

NICK  
Have... Have you thought about seeing someone?

JAMES laughs again.

JAMES  
That's what we're talking about.

NICK  
James. I mean a medicine person.

A beat. JAMES takes a deep breath.

JAMES  
Waiting lists are long. My GP said they'll get back to me in six months.

NICK laughs, completely disgusted.

NICK  
Well, you should come to the group therapy thing me and Bree go to. They always accept new people.

JAMES  
Isn't it meant to be, like a private thing?

NICK  
Sometimes it's nice to have a friend there.

A beat. JAMES slowly smiles.

JAMES  
That sounds great.

NICK  
Rich is gonna be there too.

JAMES  
Oh, awesome!

JAMES laughs, beginning to do tricks with his character on the screen. NICK nods, going along with it - progress is progress.

NICK  
Okay, where do you wanna go next?

JAMES  
I don’t know, but I’m gonna get there faster than you.

His character flips off into the night, as NICK groans.

NICK  
Oh, fuck you!

JAMES laughs.

JAMES  
Fuck you!

NICK shakes their head as their character flies off into the night, a pink streak across the dark sky.


	4. CLIP FOUR: "I'll Cover You"

**THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17TH, 15:09**

INT. HALLWAY, BACA

Students pour down the hallway, all heading on their way home, NICK stuck in the middle of them, walking just as quick. They bump into someone, stopping still.

MILO  
Sorry.

NICK looks at him and smiles, kind of awkward, extremely nervous.

NICK  
Hi.

MILO nods, smiling back just as anxiously.

MILO  
Hey, Nick.

NICK nods back, dumbstruck.

NICK  
Yeah.

MILO laughs a little, awkwardly, as NICK stands up straighter.

NICK  
Can-- Can we talk?

MILO blinks rapidly, surprised and immediately terrified.

MILO  
Yeah, sure.

There’s a beat, both of them looking around as people push past them. NICK sighs and then opens a random door in front of himself and pull MILO in.

INT. STORAGE CLOSET

They both walk into the dimly lit room and awkward stand across from each other. NICK brushes hair out of this face, awkwardly laughing.

NICK  
Back in the closet…

MILO laughs, nodding politely.

MILO  
Um, how are you?

NICK nods back, extremely tense.

NICK  
Vibing, vibing… 

They awkwardly cough.

NICK  
You?

MILO nods, also tense.

MILO  
Yeah, good.

NICK nods back, awkwardly laughing, no clue what they should say next. 

MILO  
Um, Annabell mentioned that Bree said that Esther’s having a last day of Hanukkah celebration thing at her house tomorrow night.

NICK blinks a few times, nodding, smiling, as MILO self-consciously laughs at himself.

MILO  
God, saying that makes me sound like a middle-aged man’s interpretation of a teenage girl.

NICK snorts, nodding.

NICK  
Yeah, kind of.

They awkwardly rub the back of their neck.

NICK  
Are-- Are you gonna go?

MILO smiles, shrugging and looking down at his feet.

MILO  
Uh, I don’t know. I might.

NICK smiles back.

NICK  
Uh, you’re Jewish, right?

MILO  
Yep.

NICK nods over the awkward silence.

NICK  
Cool.

MILO laughs quietly.

MILO  
Thanks?

NICK nods as they fall into awkward silence again. They sigh, rolling their eyes at themself.

NICK  
Okay, this is too awkward, I’m gonna talk.

MILO snorts.

MILO  
You talking typically makes things less awkward?

NICK  
Talking’s the thing I’m best at.

They take a deep breath, clapping their hands together.

NICK  
So. We kissed.

MILO awkwardly laughs, making no eye contact.

MILO  
It-- It was just a joke.

NICK tries not to look disappointed, laughing a little as they raise an eyebrow.

NICK  
Are you sure about that?

MILO goes quiet, nervously tapping his fingers together.

NICK  
Look, I-- I was just shocked after it happened. And you didn’t contact me, and I was confused and had a lot of coursework, but…

They sigh, relaxing their shoulders - truth time.

NICK  
I did like it. If you also liked it, it would be nice of you to say. If not, that’s cool.

MILO smiles, looking relieved, nodding quickly.

MILO  
I did.

NICK’s eyes go wide as they smile, nodding, trying to look both cool and supportive as MILO quickly and anxiously speaks:

MILO  
I-- I wanted to bring it up some other time, but you always talked about being in love with James, and then I just saw an opportunity and you were giving me flirty vibes, and I should’ve asked first, but--

NICK laughs, putting a hand on MILO’s arm.

NICK  
Breathe.

MILO nods, taking deep breaths.

NICK  
Like, yeah, asking would be nice next time, but… It’s all good.

They laugh a little to themself, moving their hand away.

NICK  
I’m kind of over the whole straight guy thing anyway.

MILO nods, laughing back.

MILO  
Yeah. It’s nice at first, but then you’re like “okay, you clearly have shit to work through that I can’t help with”.

NICK  
Yes, exactly. You’re a genius.

They both awkwardly laugh for a moment, before trailing off, the only noise the hubbub outside.

MILO  
So… 

They both laugh at the awkwardness.

NICK  
Well, I already took you swimming for the first date, so I know what you look like without make up, so that life hack is useless.

MILO snorts.

MILO  
Okay. Maybe we could just go get food for the next one, then?

NICK laughs, genuinely taken aback and impressed.

NICK  
Oh, smooth.

MILO  
Thank you, I’ve been planning this moment for weeks.

NICK snorts - MILO laughs too, but they genuinely meant it.

NICK  
You’re nice.

MILO  
You sound surprised.

NICK  
No, but… I’m not used to nice people. Kind people, yes, but nice is just different.

MILO laughs.

MILO  
If you’re gonna make “nice” such a big thing, we might as well just call this “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”.

NICK nods, their eyes wide.

NICK  
Yeah, I have no idea what that is.

MILO sighs dramatically, grinning.

MILO  
Oh, it’s such a good movie. It’s about a guy whose ex-girlfriend removes him from her memory, so he removes her from his and it’s about all the memories they made together.

NICK nods with a wide smile.

NICK  
Sounds depressing!

MILO  
Oh, it is!

They wrinkle their nose up.

NICK  
Also sounds very cishet.

MILO  
Oh, it is. But I like it. I’m very open-minded like that.

NICK  
Thank you so much for your service.

They do a little salute and MILO laughs.

MILO  
So… Are you doing anything right now?

NICK  
Talking to you.

MILO rolls his eyes with a smile.

MILO  
Shut up, you know what I mean.

NICK smiles, giving in.

NICK  
No, I am not.

MILO  
Then would you like to walk home with me and maybe go to other places before that?

NICK nods, smiling, but then pulls back a little.

NICK  
I’ll have to call my mum and make sure it’s okay.

MILO laughs a little.

MILO  
Okay, year 8.

NICK  
She’s just trying to make sure I’m safe.

MILO nods, smiling with genuine understanding.

MILO  
Okay, fair. I-- I can wait outside.

NICK nods, smiling back at him, and MILO steps out of the closet. NICK takes their phone out of their pocket and call “Mum Mobile”, waiting for one ring… Two rings… and then:

NICK  
Mum?

JOSEFINA [V.O.]  
Hi honey, is something wrong?

NICK laughs a little, shaking their head.

NICK  
No, no, I was just going to hang out with a friend after school for a bit, is that okay?

A pause.

JOSEFINA [V.O.]  
[apprehensive] Which friend?

NICK awkwardly laughs to themself.

NICK  
Uh, his name is Milo. He’s a new friend.

A pause.

JOSEFINA [V.O.]  
Milo…

NICK  
We were in the play together. He was the guy who played my love interest.

JOSEFINA [V.O.]  
Oh! Well, be home by five. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

NICK awkwardly laughs.

NICK  
Okay? Love you.

JOSEFINA [V.O.]  
Love you too.

INT. HALLWAY

NICK walks out of the closet, putting their phone back into their pocket as MILO smiles, waiting for them. The hallway’s a lot less crowded now.

NICK  
All good to go.

They begin to walk off together, but then NICK stops.

NICK  
Wait, fuck, I left my wallet at home.

MILO  
It’s all good, I’ll cover you.

NICK smiles, nodding, as they begin to walk off together, their hands swinging close to each other. NICK sighs, rolling their eyes at themself, and takes MILO’s hand, MILO smiling as they turn off a corner together.


	5. CLIP FIVE: "A Good Fight"

**FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18TH, 18:26**

_“I Do (End Credits)” by Kevin Abstract_ plays over the beautiful Brighton night time, buildings and piers all lit up and beautiful.

INT. LIVING ROOM, ESTHER’S HOUSE

We see ESTHER, SANDY, LIZ, RORI, BRIANNA, JAMES, JAKE, THEO, SOPHIE and NICK all sitting around on the soft looking sofas - it’s a very comfy looking room, lots of blankets and books everywhere. They’re casually drinking, some beer, some cider, some soda, all very relaxed and chatting.

We cut ahead in time to see them all crowded around a menorah, seven candles already lit. LIZ turns the lights off, the room going dark as ESTHER strikes a match and lights the eighth candle, as the song fades out, everyone clapping and cheering as they stare at the candles.

NICK  
This party is so lit!

JAMES hits their arm.

JAMES  
Hey, be careful with that joke.

NICK looks scared for a moment, but then smiles as JAMES smiles back.

JAMES  
It’s an antique!

They laugh, bumping shoulders as THEO rolls his eyes, looking exhausted as ESTHER sighs deeply.

ESTHER  
Why did I invite you people into my home?

JAMES puts an arm around her - NICK looks at LIZ, she looks away uncomfortably, and NICK looks away too, trying not to look too uncomfortable but also not too interested by the drama.

JAMES  
Because we’re friends and you love us.

ESTHER laughs, pushing JAMES’s arm off of her.

ESTHER  
Yeah, but don’t say it.

The chatter picks up as _“They/Them/Theirs” by Worriers_ begins to play, and we flash ahead to another montage - JAMES and SOPHIE having a water drinking contest, JAKE and SANDY trying to balance as many books as they can on their heads, ESTHER running around, trying to stop everyone from breaking something. 

The montage slows down, stopping, the song fading out as the front door opens and MILO walks in.

MILO  
Hey!

NICK grins as MILO takes off their coat, hanging it up on the coat rack as BRIANNA runs over to them.

BRIANNA  
Milo!

BRIANNA gives them a big hug as they laugh.

MILO  
Sorry I’m late, had to do stuff with my parents.

BRIANNA nods, turning back to the conversation she was having before, and NICK quickly walks over to MILO with a wide smile.

NICK  
Hi.

MILO smiles back, just as wide.

MILO  
Hi.

NICK waves at them, showing their nails to MILO.

MILO  
You’re wearing it?

THEO’s head whips around.

THEO  
Wearing what? The Chanel boots?

NICK does the “Single Ladies” hand movement as people turn to look.

NICK  
Clear nail polish, baby.

RORI gives him a big smile.

RORI  
Oh, it looks nice!

NICK smiles back at her as LIZ looks confused.

LIZ  
You literally can’t see it.

SANDY  
It’s the thought that counts.

JAKE awkwardly raises a hand.

JAKE  
Is-- Is this what being stealth trans is?

A beat. Everyone gives him a look, NICK squinting.

JAMES  
No, Jacob. Not at all.

JAKE looks down, mock-ashamed.

NICK  
Close!

JAKE smiles, hopeful. NICK takes a moment.

NICK  
Well, not close at all, but you got the spirit!

MILO points at JAMES.

MILO  
James is stealth trans.

JAMES  
Always been a man, will never not be a man.

BRIANNA  
Weird flex, but okay.

NICK snorts.

NICK  
Wow, when did it become 2018 again?

ESTHER  
God, that was only in 2018?

RORI gasps dramatically, hand clapping over her mouth.

RORI  
Guys. We all met officially in, like, 2018.

NICK puts their hands on the sides of their face, his eyes wide as LIZ quickly shakes her head.

LIZ  
No. I do not agree with that.

SOPHIE nods.

SOPHIE  
Oh my God, yeah. That’s when we did our GCSEs.

JAKE stares blankly out the window.

JAKE  
We’re literally all dying.

JAMES  
But we’re not currently dying, so let’s party!

He holds up his beer as THEO snorts.

THEO  
That’s it, you broke Judaism down to its bare essentials.

The group all laugh as we pan around to the wall, and when we pan back around to the room, everyone is sitting on the sofas, phones in hand as the TV shows a massive logo for Jackbox.

BRIANNA  
Everyone say thank you for being rich and buying Jackbox for us, Rori.

RORI grins.

RORI  
What can I say? I’m just excited to beat all of your asses at Fakin’ It.

SANDY  
I have no clue what that means, but you will.

ESTHER  
Well, I already know I’m gonna be shit at all of them.

RORI  
Also, some people will have to sit out for some games because we have a lot of people.

LIZ  
Surprising that the gaming company didn’t expect that people with a lot of friends would play a game.

NICK snorts.

NICK  
Stop being gamerphobic, Liz.

LIZ laughs a little.

LIZ  
I will when I’m dead.

She looks over at JAMES, who’s been looking at her this whole time. She quickly looks away as JAMES does too, looking away into the camera. He inhales sharply, putting an awkward smile back on as he looks back at everyone else.

JAMES  
Fun conversations!

JAKE  
It’s just trash talk. We gotta get our heads in the game. 

He bops his head from side to side as THEO laughs.

THEO  
Okay, Troy Bolton.

SOPHIE claps her hands, getting all the attention.

SOPHIE

Okay, I vote we do Quiplash first.

MILO  
Yes! 

ESTHER looks around, confused.

ESTHER  
What’s that?

RORI  
You just make jokes and then people vote for their favourite ones.

NICK grins, laughing evilly to himself.

NICK  
Oh, I am going to _dominate_ at this.

BRIANNA  
There’s a first time for everything.

NICK scoffs, laughing.

NICK  
Fuck you!

We focus on the television as it fills up with the Quiplash logo, and then we see eight little profiles, with the names: “Sandra Dee”; “Gay Troy HSM”; “St Jimmy”, “Rori Owo”; “Nicki Minjaj”; “Breeeeeeeeee”; and “Theo”.

LIZ  
Who’s Gay Troy?

JAKE raises his hand as he uses his other to type on his phone, the room quiet in concentration as MILO leans over to NICK.

MILO  
Hey.

NICK doesn’t look up as they keep typing on their phone, a confident smile on their face.

NICK  
Yeah?

MILO  
I heard from my mum that there’s an LGBT stand up night next month that she’s helping organise. I don’t know if they’ll let under 18s do it, but you can try.

NICK looks up at them, genuinely surprised and pleased.

NICK  
Wow, are you my manager?

MILO shrugs, pleasantly embarrassed. NICK raises an eyebrow.

NICK  
You could be.

MILO  
Well, you’re a lot to manage and someone’s gotta do it.

NICK laughs, pushing their shoulder.

NICK  
Hey!

THEO [O.S.]  
Stop flirting and do your jokes.

MILO and NICK laugh, NICK going back to typing.

NICK  
Okay, homophobe!

We pan over to THEO, who sighs, rolling his eyes. He looks up into the camera, exhausted, and then back down at his phone, continuing to type.

We cut ahead in time as the TV screen lights up with a question that ESTHER reads out:

ESTHER  
Okay, the scariest thing you can think of is blank riding blank. I’m terrified for the answers.

Laughter all around as the answers pop up on the screen: “a horse riding another horse” and “your mum riding me”.

SOPHIE  
Nice!

BRIANNA  
To be fair, the mum one is genuinely terrifying.

RORI clicks her fingers, whining:

RORI  
But a horse! And then another horse!

SANDY laughs.

SANDY  
Yeah, but my mum isn’t a horse!

It’s revealed that RORI wrote: “a horse riding another horse” and that JAMES has written: “your mum riding me”. The vote stack up, with everyone voting for JAMES’s. He cheers, getting his hair messed up by JAKE as RORI awkwardly laughs, trying not to look too hurt as she looks ahead, into the camera. And then she looks away, the question changing to:

ESTHER  
Okay, a sign that your dog is an idiot.

More laughter as the answers pop up: “there aren’t any, my dog is a fucking genius”, and “the motherfucker meowed”. NICK looks very pleased with himself as JAMES caws with laughter.

JAMES  
The motherfucker meowed!

SOPHIE gasps dramatically.

SOPHIE  
That would be a killer band name.

RORI  
I like the smart dog!

It’s revealed that ““there aren’t any, my dog is a fucking genius” was written by JAKE and “the motherfucker meowed” was written by NICK.

JAKE  
Yeah! I would never talk shit about my babies.

The vote is fairly evenly split.

NICK  
A good fight, brother.

JAKE nods at him, hand on his heart.

ESTHER  
Okay, an awkward thing to shout while bouncing on a trampoline with your friend.

NICK gives her a confused look.

NICK  
You know you don’t have to do that, right? We can read.

ESTHER awkwardly laughs, nodding.

ESTHER  
Right…

She looks ahead, nervously into the camera, before looking up at the TV screen and seeing the two answers: “i’m in love with you” and “if i was a poet, i’d rhyme listen with pissin’” - more laughter all around.

LIZ  
What the fuck is the piss one?

THEO defensively sits up straighter.

THEO  
It would be an awkward thing to shout!

It’s revealed that SANDY wrote “i’m in love you with” and THEO wrote the “pissin’” answer.

BRIANNA  
But why did you write it?

THEO shrugs with a grin.

NICK  
First thought, best thought.

NICK laughs, pleased with himself, MILO’s arm around them, as the screen begins to static out.

EXT. STREET

We cut outside to the street, hearing only the blowing of the wind, watching a pair of boots delicately walk along the edge of the pavement, swaying slightly as to not fall. We slowly pan up the body of the person, cuffed jeans, a hand stimming with a fidget cube, bandages peeking out from under a coat sleeve, and then a pair of headphones on top of ALISTAIR’s head as he quietly mutters to himself:

ALISTAIR  
It’s fine, it’s fine. Just go in, you’ll be fine.

He looks up, into the window of ESTHER’s house, where everyone is sitting in the warmth, laughing. He takes a deep breath, pushing his shoulders back, and puts on his usual bright smile and walks up the garden path.

INT. LIVING ROOM, ESTHER’S HOUSE

ALISTAIR walks in, quiet, taking off his coat and hanging it up as everyone turns around to look at him, surprised to see him. ALISTAIR forces his smile to be brighter.

ESTHER  
Al! Where were you?

He sighs dramatically, animatedly beginning to speak:

ALISTAIR  
Oh my God, I was about to leave, but then I couldn’t find my binder and then the fucking cat went out and got covered in mud because I forgot to close the back door, so I had to clean him up and he just scratched my arms _so bad_. It was awful.

He laughs, pretty much the only person doing it, and he looks at the TV screen, blinking rapidly.

ALISTAIR  
Oh, what’s going on?

RORI  
We’re playing Quiplash.

He keeps smiles, nodding.

ALISTAIR  
Oh, cool. Awesome.

He looks around for a place to sit down, but there’s nowhere left. He awkwardly leans against the wall as “Prelude” from Next to Normal begins to play. He opens Jackbox on his phone and types in the code - he's the only person in the audience. He looks up into the camera, the smile completely gone from his face. He stares and stares, a good few moments too long. He looks possessed. He blinks.

_CUT TO CREDITS AS THE SONG CONTINUES_

_YELLOW TEXT APPEARS ON SCREEN: “FIRST TRAILER - DECEMBER 25TH”._

_CUT TO BLACK_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone!!!!!!! thank you so much for reading season 5 of skam brighton!!!!!! it's been such a blast writing it and talking about it with all of you. i've loved exploring nick's character more and it's been fun having a big gender crisis with all of you.
> 
> as stated in the clip above, the first "trailer" for season six is coming out next friday. this is because i'm going to be releasing a trailer-esque little clip every friday leading up to the start of season six. they won't be legit trailers, like i've done for past seasons. they'll be fun little looks in on what's happening to the skam brighton characters through the lense of musical numbers - like in the trailers.
> 
> this is a little questionnaire i would like you to have a look at and give me your opinions on some formatting stuff!!!! i just want to know what you find the easiest way to read :). https://forms.gle/6KR3RGMV9FWPhPZ6A 
> 
> as always, you can catch me on tumblr @yououghtaknowmp3 for more skam brighton discussion and quick updates on clips!!! if any of you want to join the skam brighton discord server, you can send me a dm there. if you want to check out the official skam brighton playlist to enjoy my bad music taste, it's here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4zub5H4IemHY9UBDPLy39s?si=Q5LRbuuuRQWqhk7RzI1HDg
> 
> see you all next week.


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